unity of being

The issue of predestination and free will is one of the most challenging and complex epistemological questions. Muslim scholars have long debated this matter, presenting various perspectives that have been categorized into four main views: determinism (jabr), acquisition (kasb), delegation (tajwid), and the doctrine of amr bayn al-amrain (a position between the two extremes). Among these perspectives, the view of Muḥyī al-Dīn Ibn ʿArabī, as a prominent figure in Islamic mysticism, holds significant importance. This study seeks to determine whether Ibn ʿArabī’s position aligns with the theory of kasb. In other words, does the mystical perspective on predestination and free will correspond to the Ash‘arite interpretation? Using a descriptive-analytical method and by examining Ibn Arabi’s works, this study concludes that his mystical principle of the Unity of Being (wahdat al-wujud) renders the issue of predestination and free will meaningless due to the negation of the subject itself. However, it is still possible to interpret predestination and free will within a mystical framework, considering the relationship between God’s existence and its manifestations. Moreover, based on the mystical doctrine of aʿyan thābita (immutable archetypes), Ibn Arabi asserts that the immutable archetype of a human being, in its divine realm (suqʿ al-rububi), inherently possesses will and volition. This potentiality manifests in the created world as a willing and choosing agent. Therefore, while Ibn Arabi regards God as the ultimate agent (fāʿil), he also acknowledges the realisation of actions through the human agent, who wills them freely. In this view, humans perform acts voluntarily while God actualises them. These two mystical foundations lead to the conclusion that Ibn Arabi does not subscribe to the Ash‘arite theory of kasb. Unlike the Ash‘arites, who uphold the independent existence of God, humans, and multiple entities, Ibn Arabi maintains that only one existence encompasses all of reality. Furthermore, in contrast to the Ash‘arite doctrine of kasb, which denies human agency and restricts human participation to the mere acquisition of actions, Ibn Arabi embeds volition within the very essence of human reality, asserting that will (irādah) is inscribed in the immutable archetype of each individual

The prophetic hadith "Mā Arafnāka Haqa Ma'refatek" has such a depth meaning that it can be read from different perspectives. One of them is the aspect of epistemology, which has a great impact on human thought and behavior and forms the basis of every school in philosophy and mysticism. In this article, by studying the documents of this narrative, the relationship between epistemology and theology is investigated, and the specific mystical view of epistemology and central monotheism is analyzed. The interpretation of this narration is presented from the point of view of Ibn Arabi, Saadi and Sheikh Baha'ei. And by using the library method, referring to the first-hand sources, a special interpretation of this hadith is followed. Through logical analysis, it becomes clear that one aspect of this hadith is the recognition of the levels and degrees of knowledge, which is the main criterion for worship and worship, and that every seeker of truth is eager to achieve a higher level of knowledge of truth, even though knowing the essence of truth is impossible, but you can approach him through spiritual conduct.

In recent years, Muslim scholars and well-wishers have expressed numerous views on the importance of unity and solidarity. However, they have not succeeded in their admonitions as they should, to the extent that we have witnessed the eruption of practical disputes, partisan divisions, intra-religious schisms, and the emergence of various sects among Muslims. This is despite the fact that the Quran has condemned sectarianism and partisanship in religion in numerous verses, equating them with the perspective of polytheism and considering them a form of divine punishment. The Noble Quran warns Muslims against the harmful experiences of previous religious communities that deviated from the unified divine religion to various sects and obliges Muslims to establish monotheism in all dimensions of life. This is because monotheism in the social realm shines when everyone focuses on a single purpose and goal, channeling diverse tastes and various talents toward achieving convergence. The present article seeks to explore strategies for combating sectarianism by drawing on Quranic verses, addressing both theoretical and practical approaches.

Annihilation (Fana) is one of the mystical authorities that mystics divide it into three types: intuitive (cognitive), attributive, and existential. The explanation of annihilation is important for mystics and even researchers in mystics. The purpose of this article is to explain the annihilation of attributes in Mulla Sadra’s philosophical theory. The principles used in the explanation are: spiritual sharing of existence, doubt of existence, substantial movement and intensity in existence, and the division of existence into relational and independent. When shared existence is spiritual, there must be a common meaning in the existence of man and God so that that common meaning can be abstracted. Considering the doubt of existence and substantial movement and intensity in existence, potential beings can grow, and this growth has no limit for man to the extent that his attributes can become unlimited. The most important reason narrated for the annihilation of attributes is man's caliphate from God and his being the bearer of the divine trust.

The issue of interaction between Ahl al-Kitab in the Holy Quran, especially the Surahs of Zahravin, which is more concerned with this issue than other Surahs, is considered due to the unity of religions, which indicates that God's chosen religion was one from Adam to Khatam. He has been a commentator and researcher, especially mystical commentators. The present study tries to collect information and data from the first hand of the opinions of mystical commentators based on descriptive and analytical methods, in relation to the interaction of Ahl al-Kitab in Zahravin, considering the unity of religions from the perspective of mystical interpretations. This research will conclude by processing and analyzing the verses related to interaction with Ahl al-Kitab in these surahs, and mystical interpretations, showing that at first: religion is one with God and all divine messengers have been sent to practice the same religion. Second: Due to the unity of religions, mystics in their interpretations agree to interact with the People of the Book and not to be divided. Third: What God wants from Muslims and Ahl al-Kitab is peaceful interaction and coexistence, in the shadow of faith in the one God, all the divine messengers, and the divine books, and the denial of any polytheism and division.

A contemporary thinker, Mehdi Mohaghegh, has researched in many fields of humanities and Islamic sciences. In the field of Islamic mysticism, there are explorations that are rarely seen. In this article, with the method of logical induction and referring to first-hand sources, an effort has been made to pay attention to this aspect of his research separately. In this way, mysticism can be seen in three places in the researches of this thinker: the first category is the correction of mystical texts, such as the correction of Kashf al-Asrar Mibdi and Ashtranama Attar; Second, wisdom lessons that have also been extended to mysticism, such as the description of the Hikmat Sabzevari system, the description of Hikmat al-Ishraq, and the description of the Theology of Healing; The third is related to mystical subjects or mystical characters in articles and speeches. It is concluded that one of the dimensions of the researcher's researches is mystical and its presentation can be considered. On the other hand, in the evaluation of three currents of thought, one of which is enamored with Sufism and the other one rejects it, the researcher belongs to the third category, which looks at mysticism and Sufism with a critical and quantitative perspective.

Faiz Kashani (died 1091 AH) was one of the great scholars of the Safavid era who excelled in most of the religious sciences of his time. At the same time, he was a unique mystic and poet who followed mysticism and Sufism in his intellectual foundations and proved and supported those foundations in his works. One of the most important of these foundations is the theory of unity of existence, which has a special appearance in his poetry and he deals with it with artistic expression. This article, using the method of rational analysis and library method and citing primary sources, examines Faiz's view on unity of existence and shows that he paid attention to this issue in his poetry and prose, and in his poems, he has displayed unity of existence, unity of intuition and an important part of his mystical ontology, and shows that he attributes the originality in existence to the truth and adheres to the theory of manifestation and considers beings to be manifestations of the truth.

Akbar Shah, peace of the whole, Faizi Deccani, Faizi's poems, unity of existence. Faizi is one of the great Persian poets of India and the famous poet of the court of Akbar Shah Gorkani in the 10th century Hijri. Belief in total peace and establishing an atmosphere of reconciliation and religious tolerance between the followers of religions and religions is one of the most important beliefs of Akbar Shah. The formation of the theory of "total peace" and the radical reforms of Akbar Shah's period, simultaneously with Faizi's service in the court, can be considered as the basis of the spread of critical and pessimistic opinions towards Faizi. , with the theme of total peace and the vastness of Mashreb, should be examined in the divan of his poems. The result of the research: the view of the unity of existence from which the unity of religions can be deduced, believers and Hindus call God. Faizi believes in this and his poetry is full of themes of existential unity and the sameness of religions. Contrary to the view of those who considered him an atheist and his religion full of blasphemy, he has a deep view of religion and was very familiar with mystical teach.

According to the theory of Existential Monotheism (tawhid wujudi), the reality of existence is exclusive to the Supreme Being, and similar to him, the manifestations and epiphanies are the existence of the divine entity. Although before Mulla Sadra, some mystics and philosophers attempted to approach the argument for Existential Monotheism, Sadra was more successful than others in this field. In his works, he has provided an effective argument (burhan) to prove existential monotheism, through the analysis of causality ('lt) and disability and referring causality to the glory and evolution of the cause in its realms and manifestations.After him, commentators on his works followed his arguments. Mulla Ali Nouri and some of his followers have presented and interpreted the proof of causality and disability analysis based on the duality of cause and effect, and have been able to implement a form of existential monotheism in the field of relational existence and the unity by graduation (tashkik) of existence. From their point of view, existential monotheism means the exclusivity of the reality of existence in the Supreme Being, of course, this existence of a real entity has two levels of existence; One is the order of the divine essence, which is the order of inclusion of multiplicity in unity, and according to the rule of "the Simple Reality of all things", all perfections of contingent existences are related simply in the collective; The second order is the appositive verb and the vast mercy, which is the order of unity in plurality; That is, the rank of "sarian rahmat waseh qayyumiyya ishraqiyyah" (Divine Merciful Enlightenment Series) is a relational possibility in bound entities, and these interrelated existences are nothing more than the degrees of modulation of the same unified act.

According to Sikhism, metaphysics is the study of being and existence in three major aspects: absolute truth, existing reality, and human knowledge of this reality. The ultimate truth can be comprehended when one achieves true vision (darshan). Otherwise, it cannot be described but can only hint at God's attributes, such as being a creator, possessing will, and having a personality to some extent. In Sikhism, the origin of creation is absolute truth. Before creating the world, God was immersed in thought. By creating the world, God seeks a play (Lila), with the world serving as the stage for human struggle. There can be no other intention behind the creation of the world, as God is full, complete, and absolutely perfect. Due to His independence, He does not pursue any intentions or purposes. In Sikhism, human salvation is not achievable through rational and theoretical arguments because a logical entity obtained through reason, disconnected from divine light, cannot accomplish anything unless one connects to the absolute.

One of the problems of the Islamic Ummah is division and differences, which has caused weakness and backwardness and other problems of the Islamic world. This is despite the fact that Islamic teachings emphasize the unity of Muslims and one of the ways to solve the problems of the Islamic Ummah is convergence and avoiding differences. Hajj as a religious duty has many capacities to realize the convergence and cohesion of the Islamic Ummah. This article seeks to answer the question, what is the role and capacity of Hajj in order to realize the convergence of the Islamic Ummah? The hypothesis of this article is that Hajj, due to its many capacities, including political and social aspects, unificationism, raising awareness and informing about the problems of the Islamic world, can play a decisive role and influence in the issue of the integration of the Islamic Ummah, which the rulers and The elites of the Islamic world should use these capacities. In this article, the descriptive and analytical method was used to explain the discussion, and the topics presented were centered on the thoughts of Imam Khomeini and the Supreme Leader.

Unity is the perception of oneness and the vision of the world as a singular existence. In philosophical traditions, it is achieved through rational contemplation, while in mystical traditions, it is attained through experiential insight. Rumi (d. 1273 CE) and Teresa of Ávila (d. 1582 CE), mystics from Islam and Christianity, respectively, have expressed views on unity in their works. Extracting and comparing these views can be beneficial for a more precise understanding of unity and the process of experiencing it. This article aims to explain the relatively similar perspectives of these two mystics on unity, which can serve as a useful step in clarifying both existential and experiential unity. The study uses descriptive, analytical, and comparative methods to examine their views. The article suggests that the dominant perspective in the works of both Rumi and Teresa is more inclined towards experiential unity, and both mystics consider the experience of unity beyond verbal expression. However, Rumi conveys his experience of unity through the words of others, while Teresa describes it in her own voice. For understanding and experiencing this unity, self-negation and prayer accompanied by meditation play significant roles, although Teresa places more emphasis on these factors than Rumi. Teresa is also more detailed and precise than Rumi in expressing her experiences of unity. While Rumi emphasizes external states, Teresa focuses on internal states in realizing this experience.

"Personal unity of existence" or "unity of existence and existence" refers to the important and controversial theory of mystics and Sufis in the issue of monotheism and God-knowledge. It is known that the originator of this theory in the Islamic world is Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi from Andalusia, however, they were the commentators of the Ibn Arabi school who played a fundamental role in the development and explanation of the various aspects of this view.Even though Ibn Arabi and the scholars of his school emphasized in their various works that they have reached the understanding of the theory of personal unity with the help of the occult and the power of illumination, and others will only come to understand it through discovery and intuition, but they still want to convince the public. Muslims and non-Sufi audiences have relied on some of the Quranic and Hadith texts. Considering the scope of these texts, in this research only five of the most important and significant hadith texts are selected and after presenting the argument and explaining the place of reference of mystics and Sufis, from a rational and hadith point of view, to explain the criticisms and It discusses the ambiguities in it and shows that trying to prove "absolute mystical unity" from hadith texts is difficult but impossible.

In his book titled (al-Kulaynī wa-taʾwīlātuh al-bāṭiniyya (Al-Kulaynī and his exoteric interpretations), Abdel Fattah al-Khalidi presents a critical analysis of Shiite perspectives. One particular aspect that he identifies as a source of deviation within Shiism is their understanding of monotheism. Al-Khalidi argues that Shias have made an error regarding the unity of divinity, worship, Lordship, and attributes, as they perceive the Ahl al-Bayt (the Prophet's Household) as intermediaries for receiving God's grace. Furthermore, by offering exoteric interpretations of Quranic verses, they construe the divine names as their own Imams, treating them as equivalent to their Imams. In this article, we aim to present an overview of the fundamental concepts of monotheism as understood by both Shiite and Wahhabi perspectives, where the latter is the framework employed by al-Khalidi. Subsequently, we conduct a critical analysis of the principles espoused by Wahhabi ideology. Furthermore, we meticulously scrutinize al-Khalidi's criticisms outlined in his book, revealing that Shiite beliefs are not deviant but rather harmonious with reason and supported by Quranic verses. Consequently, we refute al-Khalidi's allegations against the Shiite viewpoint and his critique of the book al-Kāfī. The claim made by Wahhabis lacks justification as it demonstrates a failure to comprehend the Shia beliefs, or it may be based on a fallacious reasoning. In this study, we employ a method of theological discourse, presenting theoretical and textual arguments to counter al-Khalidi's criticisms.

Fāni Khoei (deceased 1846) is a mystical poet and a comprehensive sage who shows in his written works, especially in his poems, that mystical themes have been his constant preoccupation. For this reason, he gives importance to precise points in theoretical and practical mysticism and defends the theory of the unity of existence with different expressions more than any other concept. Then, following the Khorasani and Iraqi style, and following Sana'i, Attar, and Molavi, he performs art in the field of divine love. It also follows the Sufi path by fighting against the ego and pluralistic thought and he looks at Imam Ali (a.s.) from a mystical point of view and gives more importance to poverty as well as death and survival in mystical authorities. It clearly expresses its dependence on Shiite mysticism and draws the philosophy of human life in love for the eternal beloved. For this reason, this wise poet can be considered one of the great Shiite mystics in Persian literature.

Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi (538-638 AH), a great Islamic mystic, has introduced certain ideas into Islamic mysticism in the sixth and seventh centuries AH. Some of these ideas, under the title of Unity of Being, have a special character after him in many mystical texts. Shāh Da’ei Shirāzi (870-870 AH), a poet and mystic of the ninth century AH, is one of those who has received many influences from Ibn Arabi. In his commentary on Golshan-e-Rāz by Sheikh Mahmoud Shabestari, entitled Nasa’em Golshan, he has dealt with Ibn Arabi's thoughts. In addition, there are many aspects of Ibn Arabi's thought, especially the issue of the Unity of Being, in the margins of his Divan and Settah. This research has been done by descriptive-analytical method. The information and data have been collected using the library documents and books. The result obtained from this research clearly shows that Shah Da'ei borrowed his idea of the Unity of Being from Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi and simplified it by using his allegories and explanations.

One of the common but incorrect views about Ibn Arabi's theory of the unity of existence is to attribute this view to all Sufis, or at least to the Sufis of the 7th century A.H. onwards. Ibn Arabi, with his pseudo-philosophical design of the unity of existence theory, led to an unprecedented schism and fragmentation between the Sheikhs and Sufi families, until he put the strong relationship of murid and moradi under the spotlight. In many sects, the elder of the tariqat considers this opinion to be the monotheism of the Qur'anic Samadi, and the disciple calls it blasphemy in the tariqats of Kobaruyeh, Nematullahiyyah, Rifaiyya, Chishtiyyah, Suhrwardiyyah, Shazliyyah, Kobaruyyah, Naqshbandiyyah, Qadiriyyah, etc. Opposition to Ibn Arabi's theory of the unity of existence and being and its accessories and results arose to the point where it can even be said that Ibn Arabi's theory of the unity of existence and existence in Sufism is an unpopular point of view and should not be attributed to all Sufis. The following essay has used a library method to reinterpret monotheism in the eyes of the elders of the Sufi sects, and for this purpose, it has gone to the most prominent leaders of each of these tariqats and has shown that a large number of prominent Sufi leaders and elders agree with the theory of the unity of Ibn Arabic has opposed or interpreted it to other views such as the unity of intuition.

One of the common but incorrect views about Ibn Arabi's theory of the unity of existence is to attribute this view to all Sufis, or at least to the Sufis of the 7th century A.H. onwards. Ibn Arabi, with his pseudo-philosophical design of the unity of existence theory, led to an unprecedented schism and fragmentation between the Sheikhs and Sufi families, until he put the strong relationship of murid and moradi under the spotlight. In many sects, the elder of the tariqat considers this opinion to be the monotheism of the Qur'anic Samadi, and the disciple calls it blasphemy in the tariqats of Kobaruyeh, Nematullahiyyah, Rifaiyya, Chishtiyyah, Suhrwardiyyah, Shazliyyah, Kobaruyyah, Naqshbandiyyah, Qadiriyyah, etc. Opposition to Ibn Arabi's theory of the unity of existence and being and its accessories and results arose to the point where it can even be said that Ibn Arabi's theory of the unity of existence and existence in Sufism is an unpopular point of view and should not be attributed to all Sufis. The following essay has used a library method to reinterpret monotheism in the eyes of the elders of the Sufi sects, and for this purpose, it has gone to the most prominent leaders of each of these tariqats and has shown that a large number of prominent Sufi leaders and elders agree with the theory of the unity of Ibn Arabic has opposed or interpreted it to other views such as the unity of intuition.